NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Blu-ray from Twilight Time (Review)

IT’S SOLD OUT!!! That means if you are holding or have ordered your copy of the the 199o Tom Savini remake of Night of the Living Dead as released by Twilight Time you are holding a thing of value, clearly collectible and highly in demand. Your dilemma now, before you open it, is if you wanna pawn it on Ebay to make a quick $200 or do you wanna rip open the packaging, smell the beautiful 8 page booklet inside and be a part of an elite club of 3000 folks who “got in” while the getting was good. There’s no guarantee that you won’t see another pressing of this release; Twilight Time is more than clear about that always being a potential. What should be fair to say is that if you are fan of this movie and you love Blu-ray, this is a disc that you should have in your collection.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of Night of the Living Dead, the Tom Savini directed remake, simply pop in your 1968 version on whatever format you have, watch it, love it and then pat yourself on the back for being a studious horror fan. If you still don’t have the original in your collection you can either pick it up from Screen Archives (who was the exclusive seller of the new Blu-ray) and buy a copy of the original HERE. So the zombies have surrounded the farm house and everyone’s trying to kill each other… no this ain’t the Walking Dead. It’s one of the most influential nights in all of horror history… the remake.

I would like to address the naysayers that have attempted to damn the quality of the transfer provided by Twilight Time. You are reaching. You may even have a bit of the ol’ sour grapes for not picking up this release. The quality is gorgeous and those pictures comparing it to the previous DVD release really don’t do it justice. This is the 2010 transfer of the film that Tom Savini himself is praising. So folks who want to troll this release, it is my duty and honor to let you know that as a horror fan, a fan of quality Blu-ray transfers (though no expert) and a fan of nice packaging, this is a in fact an amazing release. Audio? Check. Video? Check. Eight page booklet with brief synopsis of the film, old and new artwork and that fresh new collectible Blu-ray smell? Check. I’m a fan of horror. I am not a quality snob, but I absolutely know when something looks bad. I know when a transfer isn’t up to snuff. You have nothing to fear. If I had one criticism, it would be that it’s lacking special features. It’s a a pretty but bare bones release.

If you were not one of the lucky ones, one of the folks that got in while the getting was good, I think you’ll see a drop in the price sooner or later. People will open it up and you might catch a break on an Internet auction from a seller in dire need of some dough. Invest your pennies wisely if you’re a fan of this movie. It’s been the red-headed stepchild of the Living Dead series for way too long. Savini did a great job. The acting is spot on and it’s a nice update on the classic even if it lacks the dominating power of the Romero classic.

While Twilight Time puts out quite a bit of non-Horror material and there’s plenty for you to buy up and collect, the next release that horror/sci-fi dorks are gonna need to know about will be the Enemy Mine release. The 1985 classic is available through Screen Archives HERE. We’ll be covering that one shortly. It’s also limited to 3000 so BUY IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN.

About Twilight Time from their FaceBook page which you can like and follow HERE:

TWILIGHT TIME is the brainchild of 30-year Warner Bros veteran Brian Jamieson and filmmaker/music restoration specialist Nick Redman. In his long tenure at Warner Home Video, Jamieson initiated and oversaw countless legacy restorations, including the films of Stanley Kubrick, Samuel Fuller’s The Big Red One, and Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch. Redman, a film historian and Oscar nominee for his 1997 documentary, The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage, is also a prime mover behind Twentieth Century Fox’s pioneering series of limited edition soundtracks. Since 1993, this program has seen the restoration and release of hundreds of classic film scores, earning industry-wide recognition, sturdy consumer support, and high praise from film music fans. Each

TWILIGHT TIME release will be a DVD (not a DVDr) properly pressed from a restored transfer. Each will be accompanied by a collectible 8-page booklet complete with original essay, stills, and poster art. And each TWILIGHT TIME DVD will offer, whenever possible, that extra most coveted by cinemusic enthusiasts: an isolated score. Upcoming highlights include stand-out music from exemplary composers: The Kremlin Letter by Robert Drasnin, Violent Saturday and Woman Obsessed by Hugo Friedhofer, Fate Is the Hunter by Jerry Goldsmith, and The Egyptian by no less than two giants, Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Newman. TWILIGHT TIME will be focusing its initial efforts on bringing out heretofore unreleased-on-DVD films from the 1950s and 60s: what Redman calls “the Cinemascope period, those gorgeous widescreen entertainments that had it all—beauty, glamour, drama.” But, he adds, “We will also be selectively tackling the earlier years—the 1930s and 40s—and sampling every genre, presenting, hopefully, something for everyone.” Jamieson notes that “these films are revered by true cineastes and film buffs. They complete the ‘void’ in their collections. This is niche marketing in the true sense of the term: identifying a certain consumer demographic, and then satisfying their needs. Twilight Time will be serving both the collectible drive of film enthusiasts, and, in a larger sense, the cause of cinema literacy.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Time_(DVD_label)

One last thing before I go enjoy some candy corn and enjoy a few more holiday films. Twilight Time put a very brief statement up on their FaceBook page that I think speaks to their integrity and commitment to fans and their production. Take a read:

UPDATE: As promised, we have discussed NOTLD at the studio and are able to verify via SPE’s Mastering Department, that our Blu-ray is indeed the approved transfer from 2010, generated for the film’s 20th anniversary, and done in consultation with the film’s director of photography. As you will have also seen on this page and elsewhere on the Internet, director Tom Savini has now had a chance to view the end product and declared it “fantastic.” As we are aware that some fans of the film will remain disappointed, our offer of a full refund still stands if you wish to return your copy. However, we would caution you with this thought: this is a limited edition run of 3,000 copies, and the title is sold out. Right or wrong, it is a collector’s item, and there are no guarantees this title will ever be repressed. Going forward, if TT encounters another situation where the new transfer differs greatly from the old, we will bring that to collectors’ attention prior to the disc being offered so that you may know of the changes beforehand. Thanks for all your support.

Well played. This is the kind of behavior you won’t see out of the major studios.

-Dr. TERROR

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About Jimmy Terror

Dr. Jimmy Terror, more commonly known as James P. Harris, has been “writing your eyes” shut since 2010 with his horror themed blog, Dr. Terror’s Blog of Horrors (whose name is a play on words derived from the Amicus film, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors). In the early 2000’s he fronted the band The Vaudeville Vampires, a short-lived "Horrorabilly" band which saw the creation of a catalog of horror related songs before disbanding (with only one, six song demo ever being produced and distributed). He has had only one on screen appearance to date in the horror short, Ocean Parkway, as maniacal, gloved killer with a hair fetish. Having done some un-credited, behind the scenes work in some low budget genre pictures, he is currently working on his first foray into screenwriting with a demonic, retro gore entry that pays homage to Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento as well as other Italian masters of the genre.

What a garbage review. You seriously write like a 13 year old. Please learn how to proofread too, there are several spelling and grammatical errors throughout.

http://drterrorsblogofhorrors.blogspot.com Jimmy Terror

I’m afraid your critique of the review had a grammatical error thus nullifying your ability to give criticism for errors (that can occur from time to time when writing late at night after a full day of my day job). I have never claimed to write above a 13 year old level. I have often claimed to be mentally younger than that. Hope my trash reviews are someone else’s treasure. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Trolling (as was stated in the article) is completely unnecessary.

http://VideoTapeTerror.com Nick

Great article! I missed the first run, but was lucky enough to get one of the (sealed) returns from somebody that wasn’t happy with it. Their site was so slammed at launch time that it took 2 minutes just load my shopping cart.